Terrible Paint Quality (2019 TS)

[AKLZ]

I bought a 1 year old TS in black, and due to bad weather have only been able to wash it and inspect it properly for the first time this week, and I am absolutely amazed at the number of small scratches and stone chips for a 4K mileage car.

The bonnet alone has in excess of 100 tiny stone chips and every panel has small scratches - not visible from a distance but up close they’re everywhere.

I presume the previous Toyota Corporate owner used to throw gravel at it each morning as a form of stress relief.

Anyway, I carefully washed it this week with a clean sponge and managed to add 5 or 6 more scratches, down to the undercoat and ‘feelable’ with a thumb nail. I swear I didn’t wash it roughly or with a dirty sponge.

I don’t want to sound like a ‘back in my day’ sort of person, but I am sure car paintwork didn’t used to be this delicate.

I traded in a Peugeot that Id owned from new for 7 years to buy this and the paint / lacquer just felt thicker and smoother and it didn’t have any similar scratches.

Anyone else noticed this?

[AKLZ]

Oh, and I forgot to add, don’t waste your time with Chipex paint repair kits. I bought one thinking I could easily correct many of the larger marks, but despite multiple attempts and carefully following the instructions to the letter (and as an engineer with a delicate hand, I feel I understand how to use the Chipex system artistically), 9 out of 10 repairs end up as they began, without any improvement.

[Gerg]

I could find no mention of the Toyota gravel-throwing ritual when googling this, but maybe it's quite a new thing, just for the white collar staff.

There was only this list:

https://mag.toyota.co.uk/nemawashi-toyota-production-system/

No mention of it on this, either:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m4UxbDgGhc&ab_channel=PaolofromTOKYO

But I do love the idea of it. 

I might try it out on our Auris to see if it works.

 

[Rolando1]

Wouldn't be surprised if it's anything to do with making the car more fuel efficient by using lighter or thinner paints & laquer etc

[Rosgoe]

I agree with you although not so much as noticing scratches and chips it is the orange peel effect.

when I bought the auris in 2015 I was shocked when I walked out  the showroom and noticed the orange peel finish nearly rejected the car, the corolla is slightly better I think it is due to the water based paint they use these days and the fact they are sprayed with robot’s I never seen it on new cars in the 60’s and 70’s it was more of a rust problem then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AKLZ]

Oh forgot to add, it also has 7 different bird poo etchings on the paintwork. That can happen to any car, but again my last car had none and I never wiped bird poo off it (I only washed it on average once a year!).

Due to COVID, circumstances and work, I could only view the car once prior to purchase and it was dark and rainy. I was, of course, told how perfect the car was, without a mark on it etc etc by the salesman, and being the trusting sort, believed him.

Im not complaining in the sense that it’s my responsibility to check such things, and I needed the new car ASAP... simply musing out loud ... but I am complaining here that I think Toyota paint quality is very poor. I worry how it’ll look in a years time, get alone 5 years. 
 

I wonder if there’s any coating I could add to make it better? I don’t mean a £££ professional nanoparticle lacquer, but something I can either pay for at a reasonable cost or apply myself once a year or so to thicken the protection, in addition to regular wash & wax. Frankly, I’m terrified of washing it again now. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

We had two cars with black paint -  a metallic Nissan and a pearlescent Honda. Both showed every mark, nick and scratch, no matter how slight, and we said we would never have another black car.

[Timh21]

Yep, my previous car was a Black Astra, bonnet was the worst and like above although I liked the look of the Corolla in Black decided to go with the Grey this time, even in the filthy weather we've had of late the Grey seems to still look good

[Swanthecat]

I also have the same black paint on my 2019 Corolla TS
 

The argument that the problems you have seen are caused by water based paint is incorrect as systems used in factory applied paint use solvent based top coats. Basecoats etc. For sure can use waterborne but not top coats as they aren’t resilient enough. The problem with most paint these days is that the drive to lower solvent content (VOC) has forced manufacturers to use lower molecular weight polymers which are compromised in terms of chemical and physical resistance properties, and by the way, lead to poor flow and levelling causing the orange peel also mentioned above.

Nevertheless all parameters are tested to destruction by the paint producer- including stone chip resistance using the well named gravelometer equipment, scratch resistance and bird lime, tree sap and other chemical resistance. The problem with black (and dark colours) is that the marks/scratches show up more easily. The marks are there on other colours  but just don’t show as much.

A tip for minor blemishes is to use Super Resin Polish by Autoglym which can remove/fill the scratches. 

[Gray86]

I’m quite into my detailing, after owning a Lapiz blue golf R for 5 years which had the softest paint I’d ever seen. 
 

modern paints are generally soft and chip & marr easily. Black just makes it stand out more. 
 

if you have time to fix the swirling yourself, I’d thoroughly recommend the DAS6 Pro DA polisher, with Menzerna polishes & pads. I bought mine from ‘cleanyourcar’ website. 
 

Washing with a sponge is a sure-fire way to encourage swirls as there is no where for any surface grit to go, so it sits on the surface of the sponge and scratches the soft paint. I’d recommend a Meguiars Lambswool washmitt, with a bucket grit guard. 
 

as for coatings, you can get ceramic coatings which will help - if you use a careful washing technique. You may be best getting a professional detailer to do that though. 

[Gray86]

If you are really committed to getting this fixed - check out the transformation on this 100,000 mile 15yr old Golf GTI, with just a professional detailer and high quality products. 
 

better than new now: 

 

 

[TonyHSD]

Black cars only if Mercedes, anything else should be bright 😂 my car looks like been under fire of shotguns multiple times, bonnet, bumper and roof, even has dents all that from stones and grits from motorways. Because it’s pearl white, kind of silverish very difficult to spot this things unless you are looking for them. , black and all dark colour has that big negative, attract dirt and sunlight. 

[AndrueC]

Black is notorious for this kind of problem. It's just about the worst colour you can pick for a car. I watch car restoration/upgrading programmes and they've all at one time or another expressed concern about dealing with black paint jobs.

https://www.best-auto-detailing-tips.com/car-paint-colors.html

"

And by going back, I mean to black. Ask anyone who has ever owned, or currently owns a black car and they will tell you of the frustration a black car represents. So for most people, I recommend you stay away from black despite what your emotions are screaming at you the next time you happen to see a very shiny black car.

• Among the most dramatic colors visually when detailed correctly.
• The hottest color; literally.
• Not only will the paint heat up to the temperature of the sun, but will cause the interior to heat up proportionately along with it.
• Black shows every nuance of paint flaws.
• Black car paint is the hardest color to keep clean.
• Will show dust from the moment you stop cleaning, until the moment you start cleaning once again!
• Black interiors hide actual dirt the best, but enhance the superficial dirt like dust, debris, and lint.
• Experience has shown that unless you have an excess of time and money, the love/hater relationship between your black car will reside mostly on the hate.

"

[Mikw]

Agree with the majority here, black paint is the worse for showing up damage.

Silver, White and Grey are boring, but tend to not show up damage so much.  They also get dirty, but don't seem to get super dirty if you know what i mean

[Catlover]

In 56 years of car ownership I have NEVER had a black car (and only 1 black motorcycle).  For sure they look brilliant on a Sunday morning after they been cleaned, but all the other times it’s a downer.                   
Majority of my cars have been silver or grey. Road dirt does grey, unless you have parked on a wet grass verge that has been cut up and then you are going to have brown.  So grey dirt blends in with silver or grey cars.  I have had a couple of white cars, and they are ok - much better then black any day.  My current Prius Excel is Hypersonic Red - that was a conscious decision, the Prius looks so good on Hyp red, and actually not too bad to keep clean, though to be fair if used by a travelling rep it would not be a good choice.
Cars need washing fairly regularly, and with quality liquids formulated specifically for cars - no good having a squirt of fairy liquid (other brands need to be avoided too).  I use Williams or Renault car wash/wax bought off Ideal World tv shopping channel (£20 could get you 5 litre with spray bottle).  These contain Carnauba wax that encapsulates dirt, prevents swirls, which are paint damage. It coats the car in a wax which won’t last forever, in fact not too long, say four weeks before it needs washing/waxing again. But now I add a coat of Carplan No1, a clear coating on top of a clean car (the cleaner the better) which is said to last 6 months or so. Got a bottle from Wilco (I believe also available elsewhere) £8 per bottle - should do a Corolla hatch about 6 times, a little goes a long way.          
 

[frizzbee30]

Funny you should post, as I was going to do the same.

I snowfoam every week, yesterday noticed a myriad of surface scratches,  no doubt from one of my varied NHS site visits.

The car is 5 months old, and treated very carefully being a company car.

As for typical of black cars', well I disagree. 

Yes it's black, but so were both my previous, 4 yr old, 80,000 plus mile volvo V40's!

No scratch swirls, and the comment of the agent who picked up the last one was 'well looked after, looks like a new car'

The only issue it had was one 3cm scratch,  and normal alloy corrosion...

I think the Corolla paint finish is exceptionally poor, and when I see my colleagues high mileage,  non Toyota vehicles, it just confirms this.

At £34,000 plus, I'm not impressed with this aspect at all.

[Velvet--Glove]

Interesting topic. I had the Gen3 Glasscoat protection applied to my 2019 Denim Blue Corolla 1.8 hatch when I bought it. I guess this has indeed protected it because I don't think it has the scratches you guys are talking about from chips or washes. The paintwork still looks great 20 months later. I would be pretty annoyed too if it didn't!

Likewise my previous car, a pearlescent black VW Polo had a protective coating applied on purchase that did what it said on the tin. I had that car for 8+ yrs and the paintwork was still in great condition when I parted with it (apart from a small ding in one door), which I why I opted for similar protection again with the Corolla. For me it's a worthwhile investment. I agree that the black can look horribly dirty, especially at the back, but I don't regret getting that colour. White is worse IMHO.

[AndrueC]

20 hours ago, Mikw said:

Agree with the majority here, black paint is the worse for showing up damage.

Silver, White and Grey are boring, but tend to not show up damage so much.  They also get dirty, but don't seem to get super dirty if you know what i mean

The best colour I've found for hiding dirt is orange. My Honda Jazz would just be 'a bit less bright' after a year of driving without a clean.

[TonyHSD]

I wash once a week because I like it, paint quality not a Mercedes but been the most expensive colour option when the car was new I won’t complain. Silver and brighter colours in general hides dirt best IMO. Black is the shiniest when clean, but you have to do it on daily basis 🚙👌

[Timmon]

Yes, I find the same, the Corolla stone chips easily and swirl marks can be seen on the paint now. My old SAAB was 17 years old, and had lacquer finish, and it made a big difference. In fact, you didn't need to polish it , the finish stayed excellent. after 17 years, no swirl marks, but some stone chips which I covered rather badly. I don't think the Corolla will look as good in 17 years.

[AndrueC]

You'd have fewer swirl marks if you didn't wash it. The only time mine gets washed is when it gets serviced. So if you want to see it looking clean this Friday is your next opportunity 🙂

[Mikw]

4 hours ago, AndrueC said:

You'd have fewer swirl marks if you didn't wash it. The only time mine gets washed is when it gets serviced. So if you want to see it looking clean this Friday is your next opportunity 🙂

That's the best kind of tip!

[Timmon]

On 2/24/2021 at 5:57 PM, AndrueC said:

You'd have fewer swirl marks if you didn't wash it. The only time mine gets washed is when it gets serviced. So if you want to see it looking clean this Friday is your next opportunity 🙂

I'm like that with house work! Carpets last much longer if you vacuum less frequently. 

[TonyHSD]

I do clean the house every day and the car once a week even in lockdown, 🤭 perhaps I may have an issues but I have nothing else to do. 😂

[AKLZ]

On 2/22/2021 at 12:01 PM, Velvet--Glove said:

Interesting topic. I had the Gen3 Glasscoat protection applied to my 2019 Denim Blue Corolla 1.8 hatch when I bought it. I guess this has indeed protected it because I don't think it has the scratches you guys are talking about from chips or washes. The paintwork still looks great 20 months later. I would be pretty annoyed too if it didn't!

Likewise my previous car, a pearlescent black VW Polo had a protective coating applied on purchase that did what it said on the tin. I had that car for 8+ yrs and the paintwork was still in great condition when I parted with it (apart from a small ding in one door), which I why I opted for similar protection again with the Corolla. For me it's a worthwhile investment. I agree that the black can look horribly dirty, especially at the back, but I don't regret getting that colour. White is worse IMHO.

Hello, how much did this glasscoat treatment cost? I’m having a really tough time even getting ballpark estimates online or via email. Everyone says ‘bring the car down so we can discuss it’ and I don’t really have time.

 

thanks!